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Open Access 2022 | Open Access | Book

Crisis Response in Higher Education

How the Pandemic Challenged University Operations and Organisation

Authors: Mats Benner, Jonathan Grant, Mary O’Kane

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Part of: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" , Springer Professional "Technik"

Table of Contents

About this book

This open access book explores the impact of Covid-19 on universities, and how students, staff, faculty and academic leaders have adapted to and dealt with the impact of the pandemic. Drawing on experiences from Britain, Australia and Sweden, it showcases how Covid has challenged routines and procedures in universities, and thrown them into a disarray of ever-changing events and short-term adaptations. The authors pay particular attention to how students, staff, faculty, and leaders have coped with Covid, through a series of autobiographical portraits of their strains but also heroic efforts in the harshest of circumstances.

This important book explores the exceptional ramifications of the pandemic but also how universities may contribute to a fairer and more robust society and concludes with a set of prescriptions for universities that aim to be proactive and resilient forces in society. It will be of interest to scholars interested in higher education, governance and organizational studies.

This is an open access book.

Frontmatter

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The University Mission Before, During and After COVID

Frontmatter

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Chapter 1. The University Mission Before, During and After COVID

Abstract

This chapter outlines the background and theoretical assumptions of the book: that universities have evolved intertwined with societal development, and that the role of service to society has been ingrained in universities from their onset. The chapter introduces notions of disruption and rupture as characteristic of the university-society relationship, with the pandemic as only one of many instances in history. Finally, the chapter outlines a theory of power within universities to conceptualise how decisions are made and how the interface between universities and their surrounding society evolves.

Mats Benner, Jonathan Grant, Mary O’Kane

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An Overview of Pre-pandemic Higher Education Systems, Challenges and Opportunities in the UK, Sweden and Australia

Frontmatter

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Chapter 2. Higher Education in the UK

Abstract

On the basis of the theoretical template of universities in society, this chapter outlines the evolution of higher education in the UK. The chapter shows the way in which British universities have been shaped in the interplay between academic, political and economic forces in recent decades, and how the adopted model of university governance has exposed them to vulnerabilities that ensue in periods of rapid ruptures in society. The chapter pays particular attention to the responses that have unfolded to the COVID-19 pandemic but also more generally to how universities have balanced the orientation to global templates with that of societal expectations.

Mats Benner, Jonathan Grant, Mary O’Kane

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Chapter 3. Higher Education in Sweden: Unitary and Diversified Under State Authority

Abstract

This chapter outlines the evolution of universities in Sweden. The chapter shows how Swedish universities have been shaped in the interplay between academic, political and economic forces and taken a specific form as an extension of political ambition, and how that model of university governance has exposed Swedish universities to both opportunities and vulnerabilities that ensue in periods of rapid ruptures. The chapter pays particular attention to the responses that have unfolded to the COVID-19 pandemic but also more generally to how universities in Sweden have balanced the orientation to global templates with that of political expectations.

Mats Benner, Jonathan Grant, Mary O’Kane

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Chapter 4. Higher Education in Australia

Abstract

This chapter outlines the evolution of universities in Australia. The chapter shows how Australian universities have been shaped in the interplay between academic, political and economic forces, and how the model of university governance has exposed them to vulnerabilities that ensue in periods of rapid ruptures in the surrounding society, especially when the globalisation of higher education is in peril. The chapter pays particular attention to the responses that have unfolded to the COVID-19 pandemic but also more generally to how universities have balanced the orientation to global templates with that of societal expectations.

Mats Benner, Jonathan Grant, Mary O’Kane

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Part III

Frontmatter

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Chapter 5. The Lived Experience of Students During the COVID Pandemic

Abstract

This chapter is composed of short recollections of events during the pandemic, in particular how the experience of individual students coalesced with organisational dynamics in universities, and how each of the contributors responded to and was affected by the pandemic, both on a personal and a professional level. In this chapter, the experiences of students are showcased, and how they adapted in their ways of doing studies and relating to one another as a group, and how they aligned societal needs with professional development.

Mats Benner, Jonathan Grant, Mary O’Kane

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Chapter 6. The Lived Experience of Academics During the COVID Pandemic

Abstract

This chapter is composed of short recollections of events and responses during the pandemic, in particular how the experience of individual academics coalesced with the organisational dynamics of universities, and how each of the contributors responded to and was affected by the pandemic, on a personal and a professional level. The experiences of faculty form the centrepiece, and how this group adapted its ways of doing teaching and research, as well as relating to students, staff and management in so doing.

Mats Benner, Jonathan Grant, Mary O’Kane

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Chapter 7. The Lived Experience of Professional Staff Response to COVID

Abstract

This chapter is composed of short recollections of events and responses during the pandemic, in particular how the experience of individual professional staff members coalesced with organisational dynamics, and how each of the contributors responded to and was affected by the pandemic, on a personal and a professional level. In this chapter, the experiences of staff form the centrepiece, and how this group adapted its ways of providing services and relating to students, faculty and leadership in so doing.

Mats Benner, Jonathan Grant, Mary O’Kane

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Chapter 8. The Lived Experience of University Leaders During the COVID Pandemic

Abstract

The chapter is composed of short recollections of events and responses before and during the pandemic, in particular how the experience of individuals coalesced with the organisational, and how each of the contributors responded to and was affected by the pandemic, on a personal and a professional level. In this chapter, the experiences of leaders form the centrepiece, and how this group adapted its ways of doing management and relating to students, staff, faculty and the political systems, and how they aligned societal needs with professional development.

Mats Benner, Jonathan Grant, Mary O’Kane

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Closing Reflections and Lessons Learnt for the Future—Time for a University Reset

Frontmatter

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Chapter 9. Closing Reflections and Lessons Learnt for the Future

Abstract

This chapter connects the theoretical assumptions with the institutional portraits and the individual autobiographies of the book, relating these observations to the future of universities and how they may reduce vulnerabilities, in society at large, in the academic system, and within themselves.

Mats Benner, Jonathan Grant, Mary O’Kane

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Backmatter

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Title: Crisis Response in Higher Education
Authors: Mats Benner
Jonathan Grant
Mary O’Kane
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Electronic ISBN: 978-3-030-97837-2
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-97836-5
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97837-2